Lifetime reveals identities of 'Project Runway's eighth-season cast

Lifetime has revealed the identities of the 17 fashion designers competing on Project Runway's eighth season, which will premiere Thursday, July 29 at 9PM ET/PT.

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Like last winter's seventh season, Project Runway's eighth season was filmed in New York City, the home of the show's first five seasons. The season's finale runway show is scheduled to film at New York Fashion Week in September.

Project Runway's eighth-season winner will receive an editorial feature in an upcoming issue of Marie Claire magazine, a $50,000 HP and Intel technology suite to help them run a business, a cash prize of $100,000 to help them start a fashion line, and the opportunity to design and sell an exclusive collection on Piperlime.com.

In addition, model paired with the winner will receive $25,000 and appear in the winner's Marie Claire feature.

Project Runwayhost Heidi Klum, mentor Tim Gunn and judges Michael Kors and Nina Garcia will all return for the eighth season, which will be broadcast in HDTV and feature a new expanded 90-minute episode format that will replace the show's former Models of the Runway aftershow.

The 17 eighth-season designers are:

- A.J. Thouvenot, a 26-year-old from St. Louis, MO who currently resides in Charles, MO

- Andy South, a 23-year-old from Waipahu, HI, who currently resides in Honolulu, HI

- April Johnston, a 21-year-old from Mooresville, NC, who currently resides in Savannah, GA

- Casanova, a 33-year-old from Fajardo, Puerto Rico, who currently resides in Astoria, NY

- Christopher Collins, a 30-year-old from Encinitas, CA, who currently resides in San Francisco, CA

- Gretchen Jones, a 28-year-old from Fairplay, CO, who currently resides in Portland, OR

- Ivy Higa, a 30-year-old from Seoul, South Korea/Kaihula-Kona, HI, who currently resides in New York, NY

- Jason Troisi, a 33-year-old from Greenwich, CT, who currently resides in Greenwich, CT

- Kristin Haskins-Simms, a 38-year-old from Philadelphia, PA, who currently resides in Philadelphia, PA

- McKell Maddox, a 29-year-old from Brigham City, UT, who currently resides in Layton, UT

- Michael Costello, a 27-year-old from Los Angeles, CA, who currently resides in Palm Desert, CA

- Michael Drummond, a 31-year-old from St. Louis, MO, who currently resides in St. Louis, MO

- Mondo Guerra, a 32-year-old from Denver, CO, who currently resides in Denver, CO

- Nicolas D'Aurizio, a 31-year-old from Hackensack, NJ, who currently resides in New York, NY

- Peach Carr, a 50-year-old from Winfield, IL, who currently resides in Lake Forest, IL

- Sarah Trost, a 27-year-old from Frazier Park, CA, who currently resides in Toluca Lake, CA

- Valerie Mayen, a 28-year-old from Corpus Christi, TX, who currently resides in Cleveland, OH